Nagoya, Japan, September 19, 2026: Japanese Emperor Naruhito declared the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 officially open at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Saturday, September 19.
The ceremony, also attended by Empress Masako, Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino and International Olympic Committee President Kirsty Coventry, marks the formal start of the 16-day event.
Athens 2004 Olympic hammer throw gold medallist Koji Murofushi and his father, five-time Asian Games champion Shigenobu, lit the cauldron, which will burn until the closing ceremony on October 4.
One of the highlights of the parade of athletes was the arrival of the OCA Refugee Team comprised of two taekwondo athletes from the Syrian Arab Republic but now living in a refugee camp in Jordan. This is the first time there has been an OCA Refugee Team in the Asian Games, and the two athletes were accompanied by two officials in a four-strong contingent. They marched behind the OCA flag.
The OCA President, His Excellency Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, said: “Tonight, the eyes of Asia – and indeed much of the world – turn to Japan.
“What we will see over the next days will inspire us. It will move us. And it will remind us of what we are capable of when we come together for Asia.”
On behalf of the OCA and the 45 National Olympic Committees, Sheikh Joaan thanked the Government of Japan, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya City, organising committee AINAGOC and the Japanese Olympic Committee for all their hard work in bringing the 20th Asian Games together.
“In Japan, we have a host that prides itself on excellence, discipline and respect,” Sheikh Joaan added.
“A nation that has long stood at the front of world sport – where ancient tradition and modern ambition move forward as one. When the world has needed it most – Japan has always answered.”
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will be the third time for Japan to host the Asian Games, following Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
“Each of those occasions left an enduring legacy for Asian sport. Aichi-Nagoya 2026 builds on that legacy,” Sheikh Joaan said.
“We all carry our own personal journey with these Games. For me, that journey began as a torchbearer at Doha 2006. Twenty years later, I stand here as OCA President. And, in those 20 years, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative power of the Games,” he said, to great applause from the spectators.
“Japan has set the stage. Now it is time for Asia to inspire the world once again,” Sheikh Joaan concluded.
The spectators were able to see a host of Japanese sports stars, not just in the final phase of the torch relay but also as the OCA flag was carried into the stadium.
These included Ayumi Tanimoto (judo), Naoko Takahashi (women’s marathon), Kosuke Hagino (swimming), Saori Yoshida (women’s wrestling), Akari Fujinami (women’s wrestling) and Kosuke Kitajima (swimming).
The pre-march performance was entitled Welcome Aichi-Nagoya – “Awakening of Space and Resonating Heartbeats” and the post-march performance celebrated manufacturing excellence in Aichi-Nagoya with the theme “The Heartbeat of Tradition”.
The ceremony lasted two hours and closed with Harmonic Heart Beat – United as One in Aichi-Nagoya.
The 20th Asian Games will feature 11,000 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees in 43 sports, 71 disciplines and 469 events.
